TECH TALK: Sonos Play:5 wireless speaker sounds amazing

Sonos Play 5 wireless speaker

Marisa Cashill

Sonos have released an update of the original Play:5 wireless speaker which we first saw back in 2009 and it sounds amazing, writes Marisa Cashill.

Its new design is minimal but attractive and is available in black or white. TI went to see one in action at my friend’s house.

It can be used in three orientations, as a horizontal speaker or vertically on either end. You can grow your Sonos family for more versatility, so If you’re lucky enough to own two, they can be linked & used as a stereo pair. They can also be paired with the Sonos Soundbar and used as rear surround sound speakers for a TV,

I was wowed by the sound quality.

Rather than the physical buttons of the original speaker, the new Play:5 now has touch controls. There’s the volume up & down function, another for play/pause, and you can swipe left to right to skip tracks. These controls can alter depending on the orientation of the speaker.

The Sonos can be operated by phone or tablet using the dedicated app. It works perfectly, allowing you to stream music directly from your phone or local network, as well as adding your streaming service of choice, such as Spotify or Deezer. The app is also used to set up the speaker, which was a breeze, as well as to add extra units, or tune the speakers. Sonos have introduced a new feature here called Trueplay, which uses the microphone on your iPhone to measure the response of the speaker as you move around your room, and the Sonos then adjusts its sound to suit your listening environment.

Inside the Play:5 are 6 speakers powered by 6 state of the art class-D amplifiers. Sound quality is excellent, easily sufficient to fill the largest room in spite of its modest size. This speaker has the ability to go LOUD, without any noticeable deterioration in quality. Bass is clear and punchy, high frequencies are crisp, and it gives a nice well rounded, wide sound.